Lobelia Cardinalis (Cardinal flower)

Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal flower) has stunning spikes of beautiful scarlet red flowers on dark green glossy foliage.  It flowers from August to September  just as some of the other pond plants are starting to fade, and is a great source of nectar for bees late in the season.  Also known as Lobelia fulgens the main difference between this and the Lobelia cardinalis ‘Queen Victoria’ is that the latter has beetroot-coloured dark purple leaves and stems.  It has an RHS AGM.These plants are one of the more tender that we sell and are classified with a hardiness rating of H3, so only hardy in coastal areas and milder parts of the UK.  Minimum temperature range is -5C to 1C, so they will need to be protected if a frost or hard frost is forecast.Please note these may be cut back from May onwards, to remove the dominant central stem and encourage thicker bushier growth or to prevent the stems breaking in transit.Lobelia after Matthias de Lobel plant collector and botanical author; cardinalis deep scarletHeight: 90cmSpread: 10-50cmPlanting position: Marginal plant up to 15cm full sun or partial shade.Form: 9cm (0.5 litre) in a solid pot -please select size belowRecommended basket size min./ideal: 2 litre round/3 litre hexagonal(Recommended basket sizes are for potting up 9cm (0.5 litre) plants only as these are supplied in solid pots.  Larger sized plants are already in aquatic baskets so can go straight in the pond, however they may need potting up or splitting at some point)